Broadband data and video services, on which our society and economy have grown to depend, have heretofore generally not been readily available to users on board mobile platforms such as aircraft, ships, trains, automobiles, etc. While the technology exists to deliver such services to all forms of mobile platforms, past solutions have been generally quite expensive, low data rate and/or available to only very limited markets of government/military users and some high-end maritime markets (i.e., cruise ships).
At present, a wide variety of broadcast television (TV) services are available to terrestrial users via satellite links. Such services include commercial Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) services (such as DirecTV® and EchoStar®) and custom video, such as rebroadcast video, over private Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) or Broadcast Satellite Services (BSS) satellites. The data services which can be provided via satellite link include all conventional Internet services (e.g., email, web browsing, NetMeeting, etc.), as well as virtual private networks (VPNs) for corporate and government customers.
Previously developed systems which have attempted to provide live TV and data services to mobile platforms have done so with only limited success. One major obstacle has been the high cost of access to such broadband data and video services. Another problem is the limited capacity of previously developed systems, which is insufficient for mobile platforms carrying dozens, or even hundreds, of individuals who each may be simultaneously requesting different channels of programming or different data services. Furthermore, presently existing systems are generally not readily scalable to address the demands of the traveling public.
Certain services currently available provide a limited subset of the above described services. One such service provides a narrow-bandwidth Internet connection to users on a mobile platform. Another service provides either TV broadcast services from available direct broadcast signals (i.e., EchoStar® and DirectTV®) or provides a custom TV broadcast signal through dedicated satellite links (i.e., Airshow®).
Advances made by ConneXion by Boeing® have made possible high speed (i.e., greater than 64 Kbps) bidirectional data networking services to groups of users on mobile or remote platforms together with video services, such as live television or rebroadcast video, via one or more satellite links. More specifically, this system provides Internet data communication, Direct Broadcast Satellite Services via BSS satellites, and rebroadcast video of live television programming via Ku or Ka-band satellites to a plurality of users onboard one or more mobile platforms, and in a manner which allows each user to request and receive Internet or other forms of real time data, as well specific live programming which he/she desires to view.
However, it would be desirable to provide simultaneous live television reception and data reception on a mobile platform using a single beam receive antenna aperture and data transmit services from a mobile platform using a single beam transmit antenna aperture.